Friday 09 July

FOURTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

 

SENT WITHOUT SECURITY

 

Introduction

      Jacob and his sons had to be uprooted and to accept the uncertain. Yet God promised to accompany them in the school of trials that prepared them to become his people.

      What Jesus says of his apostles-missionaries applies also to all who follow him: they have to live with insecurity. They will be contradicted, ridiculed, perhaps persecuted. The gospel, meant to bring peace, in reality often divides. It sets off, sets apart. It brings division even among those who claim Christ as their Lord. Jesus promised to his disciples then and now his Holy Spirit to stand by their side in their trials.

 

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
our faith is often put to the test
in the confusion of our time.
Let your Holy Spirit speak in us
when we meet contradiction
on account of the gospel of your Son.
May he be our strength and peace
in living with the uncertainties
that are the lot of those who believe in you.
Stay with us when the going is rough
and bring us home to you
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Reading 1: Gen 46:1-7, 28–30

Israel set out with all that was his.
When he arrived at Beer-sheba,
he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.
There God, speaking to Israel in a vision by night, called,
“Jacob! Jacob!”
He answered, “Here I am.”
Then he said: “I am God, the God of your father.
Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt,
for there I will make you a great nation.
Not only will I go down to Egypt with you;
I will also bring you back here, after Joseph has closed your eyes.”

So Jacob departed from Beer-sheba,
and the sons of Israel
put their father and their wives and children
on the wagons that Pharaoh had sent for his transport.
They took with them their livestock
and the possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan.
Thus Jacob and all his descendants migrated to Egypt.
His sons and his grandsons, his daughters and his granddaughters
all his descendants—he took with him to Egypt.

Israel had sent Judah ahead to Joseph,
so that he might meet him in Goshen.
On his arrival in the region of Goshen,
Joseph hitched the horses to his chariot
and rode to meet his father Israel in Goshen.
As soon as Joseph saw him, he flung himself on his neck
and wept a long time in his arms.
And Israel said to Joseph, “At last I can die,
now that I have seen for myself that Joseph is still alive.”

 

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 37:3–4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40

(39a) The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Trust in the LORD and do good,
that you may dwell in the land and be fed in security.
Take delight in the LORD,
and he will grant you your heart’s requests.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
The LORD watches over the lives of the wholehearted;
their inheritance lasts forever.
They are not put to shame in an evil time;
in days of famine they have plenty.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Turn from evil and do good,
that you may abide forever;
For the LORD loves what is right,
and forsakes not his faithful ones.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
The salvation of the just is from the LORD;
he is their refuge in time of distress.
And the LORD helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

 

Alleluia: Jn 16:13a, 14:26d

Alleluia, alleluia.
When the Spirit of truth comes,
he will guide you to all truth
and remind you of all I told you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel: Mt 10:16-23

Jesus said to his Apostles:
“Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves;
so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.
But beware of men,
for they will hand you over to courts
and scourge you in their synagogues,
and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake
as a witness before them and the pagans.
When they hand you over,
do not worry about how you are to speak
or what you are to say.
You will be given at that moment what you are to say.
For it will not be you who speak
but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Brother will hand over brother to death,
and the father his child;
children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.

You will be hated by all because of my name,
but whoever endures to the end will be saved.
When they persecute you in one town, flee to another.
Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel
before the Son of Man comes.”

 

Intercessions

–   For all churches and missionary societies, that they may proclaim Christ not by power and prestige but by humble service, we pray:

–   For missionaries, that they may discover the good there is in the hearts and minds of people and in their culture, to heal, to ennoble, and to perfect them in Christ, we pray:

–   For all our young churches, that they may be deeply rooted in their own people as communities of faith and love that enrich the whole Church, we pray:

 

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord God,
Jesus, your Son, was defenseless
against those who rejected him,
yet he entrusted himself to you
and you raised him from the dead.
Give him to us now
in these signs of bread and wine.
Let him accompany us on the road to you,
that we may remain faithful with him
and persevere until the end.
May we thus also live with him
who is our Lord for ever.

 

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
we thank you for encouraging us
through the word and example
of your Son Jesus Christ.
His word is not comfortable
and neither was his example.
Send us to make his gospel known
by the way we ourselves live it.
And when our ardor cools off,
remind us that you are our God
who sends and accompanies us
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Blessing

People speaking in the name of God should not worry what to say; for Jesus assures us that the Holy Spirit is speaking through them. May God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

 

Commentary

One of life’s greatest tragedies is a parent’s loss of a child. It seems so unnatural. Parents follow the unborn child through ges­tation, with the accompanying joy at the birth. They follow with love the processes of growth and development. It is a crushing blow when the child is there no more.

The Joseph story is fall of family pathos. The aging Israel (Jacob) today is about to be reunited with his son Joseph, after many years of belief that the son was dead. The story has been brought to a happy ending. Joseph’s brothers have shown remorse; food has been provided for the family in Egypt. Jacob can only exclaim that now his life may be brought to an end, bringing him peace and tranquility.

Jesus assures his disciples today that life will take unusual turns for them, as well. They will have to defend their beliefs before civil magistrates. Families will be sharply divided over the acceptance and rejection of their message. But as they carry out their mandate, they are assured that their commitment will be vindicated.

Turmoil is always difficult. Family discord is particularly painful. Conflict resolution has more than psychological value. It fulfills a gospel mandate to be at peace with our family members. Joseph waited years for reconciliation. We may not have that much time.

 

Points to Ponder

Joseph’s forgiving spirit

Addressing family conflict

Overcoming religious differences.